And by somewhat annoying, I only mean for some of you. For me, it's fun to create recipes from parts of other things, adapting as I cook. I know many who really, REALLY like to have it all written down. So maybe this recipe is not for you, but if you like playing in the kitchen, you may get something out of it.

Today there was a lovely cool in the morning, and while sunny it finally feels like Fall (my favorite season) is arriving, and the stew-cooker in me could not be happier. We've already had several tasty meals out of the crock pot, and I see a Fall and Winter of frequent use ahead!

For our lovely, cool Sunday fare, start with this:

Soften leeks and onions in broth in the crock pot.

Next, assemble your other ingredients:

Plain coconut milk yogurt, kale, and Roots Thai Coconut Hummus.

It really doesn't take much more than this with some more broth and a dash of salt. Asheville-based Roots hummus, in many delicious flavors, has been one of my favorite food groups since my first tasting. And the above pictured Thai Coconut Hummus, along with the Extra Hot Chipotle Hummus, are two of my favorite ingredients when whipping up a quick curry or spicy stew. It's available in a wider region now, so if you don't see it in your local grocery, ask for it! Anyway, add the kale, more broth, the yogurt and at least half the hummus to the crock pot.

Stewing away (or is that 'crocking' away?)

Those of you who are only mildly annoyed with the narrative nature of this recipe should enjoy this next step: open the fridge to put away the unused broth and discover a little container of the last of the previous crock pot stew (assorted veggies, tempeh, beans, not really sure what else...), and decide it would be a perfect addition to the curried greens stewing away. Go ahead and add the whole bit (about a cup, if you're one of those people who need to know). Ok, moving on ... we need a base for this loveliness, and that could be satisfied by a number of things (baked sweet potato, a nice bowl of brown rice or quinoa, for instance), but we're going to use some left-over chickpea frittata:

it's like chick pea polenta!

The frittata itself was an experiment, as it's from a mix I found shopping last week. The ingredients are simply chickpea flour and chili pepper, to which I added water, oil and salt. It's from Lucini Italy, and if you can't find it in your town, you can buy it HERE. I plan to make my own scratch version again, but whenever I see these mixes I'll happily stock the pantry for a quick 'chickpea polenta' option. My experiment resulted in a thicker, fluffier, frittata, so for today's dish I decided to slice it in half, making two thinner slices. They grilled up nicely on the ol' Foreman grill. Finally, to plate!

Having just wiped the last of the 'gravy' with my last bite of frittata, I can report that the results were nom-nom-nommy. The dish came together just as I closed the gallery for the day, so popping open a nice black lager to go with made the perfect compliment. For any studio mates who see this before they come to work tomorrow, yes there are leftovers (which will eventually make the base for another great meal)! buon appetito.

Recipes Archive

Here's where you'll find all the recipes featured on the website. Some are presented in traditional format, others are more 'assemblage' recipes, combining ingredients that can be prepared a number of ways, and sometimes I'll present some ways. You're welcome to comment and offer your own versions!

Whenever possible, I use locally sourced and seasonal ingredients. That is yet another component that I think makes homemade taste better on handmade.